Senior Planner

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior / Lead Project Planner with advanced Primavera P6 expertise to support the successful delivery of complex, high-value infrastructure and capital projects within aviation environments or other live operational settings.

The successful candidate will play a key role in leading planning and scheduling activities across major programmes, ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to ongoing operations. The role requires a proactive and commercially aware planner capable of influencing project delivery teams, challenging assumptions, and driving programme performance across all project phases.

Experience within airports, transport infrastructure, utilities, healthcare, data centres, manufacturing facilities, or other operationally critical environments is highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, management, and maintenance of fully integrated Primavera P6 project schedules across complex programmes and portfolios.
• Act as Lead Planner across major projects or multi-project programmes, providing oversight, coordination, and assurance of all planning activities.
• Manage and mentor project planners, ensuring consistency of planning standards, reporting, and programme controls methodologies.
• Develop robust baseline programmes covering design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and operational handover activities.
• Provide critical path analysis, schedule assurance, and performance reporting to senior leadership teams.
• Drive programme controls best practice and planning governance across multiple projects.
• Lead planning workshops and collaborative schedule reviews with project teams, contractors, consultants, and operational stakeholders.
• Identify schedule risks, constraints, and opportunities, implementing mitigation and recovery strategies where required.
• Coordinate project delivery activities within live operational environments, including phased works, shutdowns, possessions, and restricted access windows.
• Support commercial teams with change management, extension of time assessments, and delay analysis.
• Challenge project assumptions, sequencing, logic, and resource planning to improve programme efficiency and delivery certainty.
• Produce executive-level reporting, dashboards, and progress updates for clients and senior stakeholders.
• Ensure alignment between programme schedules, operational requirements, and stakeholder expectations.
• Support integration of cost, risk, and resource information into project controls reporting where applicable.

Essential Requirements

• Extensive experience as a Senior or Lead Project Planner using Primavera P6 on major infrastructure, engineering, or construction programmes.
• Proven experience leading planning functions, teams, or programme-wide planning activities on complex projects.
• Proven experience delivering projects within:
  • Aviation environments (airports, terminal upgrades, airside/landside infrastructure, baggage systems, operational facilities), or
  • Complex live operational environments where continuity of operations is critical.
• Strong understanding of project controls, scheduling methodologies, and programme governance.
• Advanced capability in critical path analysis, schedule risk assessment, and recovery planning.
• Experience interfacing directly with senior stakeholders, operational teams, contractors, and client organisations.
• Strong commercial awareness including change management and delay analysis exposure.
• Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6 and Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Experience

• Major airport or transport infrastructure project experience.
• Experience working within highly regulated or safety-critical environments.
• Knowledge of NEC contracts and programme/commercial reporting requirements.
• Familiarity with integrated project controls including cost and risk management.
• Experience managing or mentoring planning teams across multiple projects or programmes.
• Membership of a recognised professional body (APM, PMI, CIOB, etc.).

Additional Information

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES ON RECRUITMENT FRAUD - We are committed to safeguarding candidates from fraudulent activity associated with our recruitment process. Please note that we will never offer specialist CV writing services, request payment or ask for sensitive personal information during the recruitment process.

We are committed to equal treatment of candidates and promote, as well as foster all forms of diversity within our company. We believe that bringing together people with different backgrounds and perspectives is essential for creating innovative and impactful solutions. Skills, talent, and our people’s ability to dare are the only things that matter !. Bring your unique contributions and help us shape the future.